At what age a tutour shulde be pro∣uyded, and what apperteyneth to his office to do. Capi. vi.
AFter a chylde is come to se∣uen yeres of age, I holde it expediente, that he be taken from the company of womē: sauynge that he maye haue one yere or two at the most, an aunciente and sad matrone attendynge on hym in his chaumbre, whiche shall not haue any yonge woman in her company: For though there be no perylle of offence in that tender and innocent age, yet in some chyldren nature is more proue to vice than Page [unnumbered] to vertue, and in the tender wittes be spar∣kes of voluptuositie: whiche norisshed by any occasion or obiecte, encrease often ty∣mes in to so terrible a fyre, that therwith all vertue and reason is consumed. wher∣fore to eschewe that danger, the most sure counsaylle is, to withdrawe hym from all company of womē, and to assigne vnto him a tutor, whiche shulde be an aunciente and worshypfull man, in whom is approued to be moche gentilnes, myxte with grauitie, & as nyghe as can be suche one, as the child, by imitation folowynge, may growe to be excellente. And if he be also lerned, he is the more commendable,
¶ Pelcus the father of Achilles, commit∣ted the gouernaunce of his sonne to Phe∣nix, whiche was a straunger borne: who as * well in speakynge elegantely, as in doinge valyauntely, was mayster to Achilles, as Homere sayth.
¶ Howe moche profited it to kynge Phi∣lip, father to the great Alexander, that he was deliuered in hostage to the Thebanes * where he was kepte and brought vp vnder the gouernaunce of Epaminondas, a no∣ble and valyaunte capytayne, of whom he receyued suche lernynge, as well in actes martiall, as in other lyberall sciences, that he excelled al other kynges, that were be∣fore Page 20 his tyme in Grece: and fynally as wel by wysedome as prowes, subdued all that countrey?
¶ Semblably he ordeyned for his sonne Alexaunder a noble tutor, called Leoni∣das, * vnto whom for his wysedome, huma∣nytie, and lernyng, he commytted the rule and preemynence ouer all the maisters and seruantes of Alexander. In whom not with standynge was suche a famylier vyce, whi∣che Alexander apprehendynge in chyld∣hode, coulde neuer abandon, some suppose it to be fury and hastynes, other superflu∣ous drynkynge of wyne, whiche of theym it were, it is a good warnynge for gentyll menne, to be the more seryous, inserchyng not onelye for the vertues, but also for the vyces of theym, vnto whose tuityon and gouernaunce they wyll commytte theyr chyldren.
¶ The offyce of a tutor is fyrste to knowe * the nature of his pupil, that is to say, wher to he is moste inclyned or dysposed, and in what thing he setteth his most delectation or appetyte. If he be of nature curteise, pi∣teouse, and of a free and liberall harte, it is a pryncypall token of grace (as it is by all scripture determined) Than shal a wyse tu¦tor, purposely cōmende those vertues, ex∣tolling also his pupil, for hauynge of them: Page [unnumbered] and therwith he shall declare them to be of al men most fortunate, whiche shal happen to haue suche a mayster. And more ouer shall declare to hym, what honour, what loue, what commoditie shal happen to him by these vertues. And if any haue benne of dysposytion contrary, than to expresse the enormities of theyr vice, with as moch de∣testation as maye be. And if any daunger haue therby ensued, mysfortune, or punishe¦mente, to agreue it in suche wyse, with soo vehement wordes, as the childe maye ab∣horre it, and feare the lyke aduenture.
